Stupid Traditions
by She-Loved-Too-Easily
Summary: A New Year's Eve party turns out to be a lot more interesting than Bella had ever expected. Fluffy one shot that I wrote to wish you all a Happy New Year! AU BxE Rated T


_Hey guys! :)_

_How's it going? It's been a while, I know. I've been very busy the past year, and I haven't uploaded a new story in a ages. My job is partly to blame, as well as a huge lack of inspiration. _

_So here I am, trying to get back into the groove again. :p Bear with me please, I haven't written anything in months, so this is not my best work. Just a fluffy One Shot to wish you all a happy new year! Also, I really hope that once I start writing again, I'll find some inspiration to write a new, longer story. Because honestly, I do miss writing, and I enjoyed writing this very much. _

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I don't own anything. Even the laptop I'm currently typing on is still not paid off. **

_Have fun, and let me know what you think. :)_

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_**Stupid Traditions**_

New Year's Eve. One of the many holidays about which I, as a regular seventeen year old, should be excited. Just like my classmates, who had all spent the last two weeks talking about the noisy, crowded New Year's party that I was currently attending. The only reason I was here, was my best friend Angela who had dragged me along. She told me it would be 'fun', not to mention she needed my moral support just in case that her crush Ben would be there. I'd given in because I didn't want to let Angela down, but I had never been one for parties. It made me wonder if maybe, just maybe, I didn't fit into the category 'regular seventeen year old'. Oh, who was I kidding? I'd never related well to people my own age. There was no point in beating about the bush, I _knew_ that I was different. If it hadn't been for Ang who'd claimed that she needed me to be here, I had been at home… I would be in my room reading a book, or doing the laundry while my father Charlie was downstairs celebrating New Year's with his friends Billy and Harry…

Besides, it looked liked Ang didn't need my help that much anyway. At his exact moment she was dancing with Ben, smiling like she'd just won the lottery. After some shy looks between the two, Ben had finally gathered the courage to ask Ang if she wanted to dance. Considerate as always, she had asked me at least ten times if I wouldn't mind if she left me alone for a while, and I had assured her that it was more than fine. She had been waiting for this moment for ages, and the last thing I wanted to do was to ruin my best friend's magical night. So there I was, awkwardly standing beside the dance floor, mindlessly watching all the familiar faces that belonged to the students in my year; not many people were missing, Jessica Stanley had literally invited everyone.

"Bella! Didn't really expect to see you here! Amazing party, isn't it?" Jessica came up to me, talking in her usual gushy tone. Speak of the devil. It came as no surprise that she was the one who had offered to host this party.

She had left the dance floor for the first time tonight, in order to get a drink. Relief was apparent on Mike Newton's face, who seemed grateful for this opportunity to get away from his date, if only for a few minutes.

Naturally, dancing was not a good idea for someone as uncoordinated as clumsy Bella Swan, and so I had been standing near the table of refreshments for the last hour or so, which made it suspicious to subtly move away from Jess now.

"Yes, it's great, Jess." I replied automatically, knowing that it was the fastest way to make her stop talking.

"I know right!" Jess all but squealed, her ever-present enthusiasm never wavering; she seemed unaware of the sarcasm that colored my tone.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the table, before giving me a last wide smile and making her way back to Mike, who was now dancing with Lauren Mallory. It was hard to tell who looked more disappointed, Mike or Lauren. Jessica didn't look too happy, though, and I let out a small snicker as I watched how she roughly pulled her date away from her now probably ex-best-friend.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and the crowd of dancing teenagers couldn't entertain me any longer, so I absentmindedly scanned the room for anything interesting. Anything at all. I was bored beyond all reason, inwardly praying that I could get away from this place… That was the moment I spotted _them_, and my heart made a tiny jump.

The Cullens. What on earth were they doing here? When talking about students who didn't fit in, the Cullens were certainly on top of that list. Even though it was a mystery to me just _why_ they didn't fit in. Sure, there was something unusual about Dr. en Mrs. Cullen's kids, but they were beautiful, well dressed, polite and intelligent… My guess was that they didn't _want_ to fit in, which made it even more strange that they were at this party right now; normally they skipped social events like this one on the rare occasions when they were invited.

Alice, the tiny, black-haired girl who faintly reminded me of a hyperactive pixie, was tugging along Jasper, the tall Cullen with the honey-blonde hair who was gazing lovingly at her. That was one of those 'unusual' things about the Cullens, all five kids were adopted, and there were two couples. The other couple consisted of Rosalie, the extremely beautiful girl with golden hair, and Emmett, the big, bulky Cullen with dark hair.

And then there was the youngest Cullen, Edward. The best way to describe Edward would be 'devastatingly handsome'. He starred in the dreams of ninety percent of the females who were living in Forks, no doubt about it. Even _I _had to admit that he was gorgeous. I'd never been very interested in boys, not like my female fellow students, but Edward… I would be lying if I denied that I often caught myself staring at him, daydreaming about how it would feel to be in his arms… Or to kiss him….

I groaned as I suppressed that thought. What was I thinking? We rarely ever talked, and when we did it was in Biology where he was forced to sit next to me. Sometimes there was a polite 'hello', or a mumbled 'goodbye'. And of course my personal favorite: "Do you mind if I borrow your pencil?" Edward wasn't the 'dating-type', and every girl in Forks, even Jessica Stanley, was well aware of that. I pushed my annoying thoughts away, at the same time attempting to tear my gaze away from Edward. He wasn't even that special… Except for those blazing golden eyes… And that messy, copper colored hair… Or that face that looked like it belonged to an angel rather than a common high school student. Oh god, I had to stop this!

"Keep dreaming, Bella." I muttered to myself. Thanks to the loud music there was no way that anyone could hear me, talking to myself like a lunatic.

Out of pure boredom I had already swallowed down a drink or three, and I decided that it was a good plan to go searching for a bathroom, if only to kill some more time.

I completed my mission without any complications, finding the bathroom on the first floor. However, when I exited it, I nearly got a heart attack when I bumped into none other than Alice Cullen.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there, are you okay?" She said apologetically, her voice sounding like wind chimes in a summer breeze without her even trying. "Bella, right?" She asked, lightly putting a hand on my arm. Her touch felt cold, even though the temperature at the Stanley house was pretty warm.

"Yes, Bella… And I'm fine." I managed to say, a little surprised that Alice was talking to me, just like that. Also, I hadn't expected her to know my name; none of the Cullens ever seemed interested in any of the other students who were roaming the halls of Forks High.

"I wasn't paying attention, sorry." She apologized again.

"It's fine, really." I assured her a second time.

"Alright then." Alice said, smiling at me. "So, some party, huh?" She added in a conversational tone.

I wasn't sure what to say to her. She would definitely think that I was a weirdo if I told her that I didn't like parties… On the other hand, I'd never been a big fan of lying either, and so I answered her honestly without thinking.

"Actually, I'm not that much of a party-girl." I admitted.

Alice snorted, playfully rolling her eyes. "You sound just like my brother Edward, I literally had to _drag_ him along."

"My friend Angela had to drag me along." I confessed, blurting out the truth again. "She needed my support… And it's very hard to say no to her, seeing as I am a hopeless pushover."

Alice smiled at me, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "You know, Bella, you seem like a very nice girl…" She said after a short moment of silence.

"Thanks… I think." I muttered awkwardly to her blunt statement, some blood rushing to my cheeks.

"And you just gave me a great idea! I need you to do me a small favor…" She said, grinning wickedly at me.

"Depends… What kind of favor?" I checked cautiously.

"Well… Seeing as you don't seem the dancing type, and you're stuck here anyway, would you mind keeping my brother company for an hour or so?" She asked, shooting me a pleading glance.

My stomach turned as she mentioned Edward. Why did she need someone to keep him company? I decided to ask right away.

"Why?"

"Because Jazz and I do like dancing, just like Rose and Emmett. But I would feel bad, leaving him alone. After all, I was the one bringing him here." Alice explained. "Please, Bella! He's not that bad once you get to know him. He's not as grumpy as he appears to be, and it would be nice for you as well to have someone to talk to."

I was completely clueless as to why Alice was determined to arrange this little meeting between me and Edward, but a chance to talk to him outside of school didn't seem that bad.

"Alright… I guess it's okay then…" I complied hesitantly.

"Yes!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Come on, let's go find him!"

Alice took my arm, subtly pulling me along as she made her way back to the living room where people were still moving to the music. I spotted Rosalie and Emmett on the dance floor, and everyone was making room for them; professional dancers had nothing on them.

I also saw Jasper and Edward, who were standing in a quiet corner of the room talking to each other, even if that seemed impossible with this awful noise.

"Let's go, Bella, it's alright." Alice encouraged me.

I only now realized that I had unconsciously stopped walking. I briefly closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, and my feet started to move again.

" Jazz! I want you to meet Bella!" Alice said cheerfully as soon as we reached the guys. "And I believe you already know her, Edward. You sit next to her in Biology, right?"

Jasper smiled politely at me, but I didn't miss how Edward arched his eyebrows at Alice; it almost looked like an unspoken warning. Alice smirked at him in a nearly invisible way, but not invisible enough for me not to catch it. What was going on here? I was completely in the dark.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." Jasper broke the silence, nodding at me in a friendly way.

"Nice to meet you." I replied, answering his smile with one of my own.

"Hello Bella." Edward greeted me politely. He did a good job at composing his face, but I still had a feeling that something was hiding beneath the surface.

"Hey Edward." I choked out; I could feel that I started blushing.

Despite the fact that he didn't seem too happy about my presence, Edward smiled crookedly at me. I had never seen Edward smile before, but I was positive that it was the prettiest thing that I had ever witnessed in my life.

"So, why don't you guys talk for a bit, so Jazz can ask me to dance with him." Alice said bluntly.

Edward shot his sister a wary look, but Alice just rolled her eyes before focusing on Jasper. Jasper made a face at his girlfriend, but didn't go against her, not even struggling as Alice guided him towards the dance floor.

"I'm so sorry about all this!" I blurted out an apology as soon as Alice was out of hearing range. I had to yell to be heard over the music, which only made things more awkward. "It's just, saying no to Alice is sort of impossible."

To my immense relief, Edward merely chuckled. "Yes, that's my sister. No need to apologize, I know exactly how she can be sometimes." He was also half-yelling.

"Good. So let's just blame Alice." I said jokingly in an attempt to break the ice.

Edward actually grinned, before he turned serious again. "Hey, do you want to go outside for a little walk? Talking is so much easier when we don't have to yell in order to have a conversation." He suggested.

My heart skipped a beat at the idea of being alone with Edward, and so I could give him no other answer than "Yes, sure".

Edward led me through the crowd, to the back door. The second we stepped outside I let out a sigh of relief, and I heard Edward do the same. The silence was very welcome, as was the fresh air.

"So, I take it you're not very fond of parties either?" Edward verified as we entered the Stanleys' backyard.

"You got that right." I confirmed. "I'm here because my friend Angela begged me to come with her."

Edward glanced sideways and grinned. "I'm here because… Well, you've met my sister." He said dryly, rolling his eyes.

I laughed and nodded in agreement. "Oh yeah, I can imagine why you're here… I've only just met Alice, but as far as I can tell she can be very persistent."

"You have no idea…" Edward said, still smiling. He seemed to do that a lot tonight.

We reached a small wooden bench, and we both automatically came to a stop.

"Do you want to sit down?" Edward asked, gesturing to the bench.

"Sure, why not." I complied easily.

There was a comfortable silence as we both sat down; the sounds from the party could only faintly be heard here. We were sitting rather close, and I shyly sneaked a glance at Edward, only to find out that he was already looking at me. I let out a nervous laugh, but I quickly composed myself.

Edward quietly observed me for several seconds before he spoke again. "Alright, so if you're not the partying type, why don't you tell me what you _do_ like to do…"

That's when Edward's cross examination started. He overwhelmed me with tons of questions, always coming up with a new one when I thought there wasn't anything left that he could possibly ask. The funny thing was that it didn't even bother me. On the contrary, it turned out that talking to Edward was easy as breathing. Scarily easy. I wasn't much of a talker, especially not when I didn't know someone that well, but with Edward it felt like I had already known him my entire life. We talked about everything and nothing. Music, books, movies... And me. Edward seemed sincerely interested in everything there was to know about my boring, uneventful life, and for some reason I didn't mind giving him all the uninteresting details.

And I couldn't care less that there was something unusual about him. I didn't mind that the color of his eyes subtly changed every now and then, from a light butterscotch to a dark amber, then back to a warm honey again. Or the cold that he radiated; I could feel it every time that I sneakily moved closer to him. I ignored the fact that he looked inhumanly pale but beautiful in the moonlight, or how he naturally seemed to spread a sweet, inviting scent.

Eventually I recalled that there were other things on this planet than just Edward Cullen, and after answering what felt like the millionth question that he had fired at me, I realized with a feeling of dread that maybe it was time for us to leave our private little bubble.

"What time is it? We've been out here for quite some time."

Edward checked his watch. "It's ten minutes to midnight."

"Right, almost time… Everyone in there is probably getting ready for the countdown… And finding someone to kiss at midnight." I said mockingly, nodding my head in the general direction of the Stanley house where all the lights were still brightly shining.

"You sound like you don't really care about New Year's Eve period, not just the party." Edward remarked.

I shrugged. "I just think it's sort of pointless, making such a big deal out of it. A new year, what's that about really? It's nothing but numbers. Nothing special, almost every year is the same. Why count down?"

"I suppose…" Edward said, seeming rather amused by my little rant. He was concentrating on my face, as if he was looking for something there. Or maybe he was trying to understand why I was such a weirdo compared to other people my age.

"Just stupid traditions…" I added in a lighter tone, trying to distract him from his thoughts.

"Yes… Stupid traditions…" Edward repeated halfheartedly, his mood shifting ever so slightly. For an instant conflict was clear on his face. "But you know, the whole kissing-at-midnight-thing… Maybe that's not such a bad tradition after all…"

I was sure that my heart stopped beating for a few seconds as my brain processed what he had just said. Was he really suggesting… Did he actually want to… I was speechless, frozen, unable to find any words.

Edward wasn't discouraged by my lack of reaction though, and his features relaxed, a tiny smile forming around his alluring lips. "Do you want to count down with me?" He simply proposed.

I concentrated on evening out my breathing, hoping to calm down my misbehaving heart as I thought about what would follow after the countdown. "S-sure." I replied, my voice a bit shaky at this point.

Edward pointed at his watch; only twenty seconds left until a new year would begin.

I took another deep breath before we simultaneously started to count down.

"Ten… Nine… Eight… Seven… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One…"

All the while Edward was gazing into my eyes, making it impossible for me to look away from those pools of gold. As soon as the word 'one' had left my lips, he started to lean in. He seemed to hesitate for a split second, and I could swear that his eyes turned several shades darker… I was starting to get afraid that he would go back on his proposal, but then he finally closed the remaining distance between us…

His lips were cold but flawlessly smooth, creating an unexpected but wonderful sensation as he touched them to mine. I closed my eyes as our lips slowly moved together, and a tingling feeling was spreading throughout my entire body. He tasted sweet, a flavor that matched the scent that he was radiating, making my head swim as it enveloped me.

Kissing Edward was so much better than I had ever imagined, so I was deeply disappointed when he carefully placed one of his hands against my cheek to gently push me away. My heart sank, fearing that I had done something wrong, but when I observed his face I was met by a content and satisfied smile. I could feel a similar smile forming on my own face.

"Wow…" Was the only word I could think of after I had caught my breath.

Edward let out a short laugh. "Wow indeed." He agreed.

He took both my hands in his, never taking his eyes away from my now probably flustered face. They felt cold, like his lips had felt cold, but my brain wasn't really paying attention to that right now.

For a while we just stared at each other in wonder, until Edward was the first one to speak. "I suppose we should go back inside… I think your friend Angela is looking for you."

I raised my eyebrows at him in question. "How would you know?"

Edward sighed, and again there was that conflicted frown, as if something was bothering him. "Just a guess."

I decided to let it go, because that was obviously what he wanted me to do.

"I guess you're right, we should go inside." I mumbled.

There was a silence as we made our way to the back door, but the second we stepped inside, into the large kitchen, Alice appeared out of nowhere.

"Busted, you two!" She yelled at us, a triumphant grin plastered on her excited face.

My cheeks turned the color of a tomato, but Edward merely glared at his sister.

"Oh, come on Edward! Don't give me that look. You should thank me for arranging this! You've been in love with the girl since forever, it was about time that something happened." Alice told him matter-of-factly.

I was momentarily stunned, shocked by Alice's words. He had been in love with me all along? How was that even possible? He was perfect, amazing, gorgeous, a god… I was just plain, boring Bella Swan. I didn't get time to think about it for long though, for Alice's and Edward's conversation took an unexpected turn.

"So that's why you've been blocking me out the last couple of days! This was your plan all along! Think about what you did, Alice! This can only end in tears, you know the consequences! I want Bella to be safe." Edward said, his voice getting louder with each accusation that he threw at her.

If I were Alice, I would've been scared to death by his tone, as well as the look in his eyes, but Alice only made a sour face at her brother as she replied. "Don't be so overdramatic, do you think I would've encouraged this in the first place if it would end badly? I care about her, too. Everything will turn out fine, you'll see. Just loosen up a little, for her sake and your own."

By now this conversation wasn't making any sense to me anymore. No sense at all. What on earth were they talking about? I felt unusually brave tonight, and the question was out of my mouth before I could think it through.

"What is this all about, Edward?" My voice was surprisingly steady as I addressed him.

Alice shot her brother a meaningful glare before smiling swiftly in my direction. "I'll leave you two alone now, don't be difficult please, Edward. Don't spoil it." She said before disappearing through the kitchen door faster than I would've thought possible.

Edward looked at me, his face softer now that his sister wasn't in the room anymore.

"So? Do I get some kind of explanation?" I pressed when he didn't talk right away.

Edward remained silent, but I could see that he was deep in thought, contemplating what he was going to tell me. After what felt like minutes rather than seconds, he answered me.

"Tonight's not the night. This is not the right time."

I groaned; I wasn't going to give up that easily. "Then when _is_ the right time?"

Edward let out a deep sigh. "Unfortunately, I guess you'll find out soon. Especially after what Alice did." Was his cryptic reply.

"Soon?"

"Yes, soon. Please let's forget about it for now… Alice is right, this has been a wonderful evening, let's not spoil it." He pleaded, both his voice and eyes were gentle now.

"Okay…"

"So, change of subject please?" Edward tried.

"Alright, fine!" I grumbled, not truly willing to let it go, but also knowing that it was useless to keep pushing him. Besides, according to him I would find out soon enough anyway…

"Good!" He said, deliberately ignoring my grumpy tone. "You know how we were talking about stupid traditions earlier?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, we counted down, we kissed… but I didn't even wish you a happy new year." He reminded me, stepping closer to me so that I was within his reach, taking my warm hands in his cool ones.

"I suppose there's still time for that." I responded nonchalantly.

Edward gave me that uneven smile that I liked so much, causing my heart to flutter happily. "Happy New Year, my beautiful Bella, may all your wishes come true this year." He said, both his voice and eyes filled with sincerity.

"Happy New Year, Edward. I hope the same goes for you." I replied lamely, but I meant it all the same.

It caught my attention that Edward was bringing our faces closer, once again closing the gap between us. His eyes were more intense than I'd ever seen them before, and he was gazing at me from under his lashes, as if wordlessly asking for my permission to make another kiss happen. My heart sped up, anticipating what was soon to come...

And I realized that for the first time ever, this new year _was_ going to be a very special one, different from all the previous years… Something told me that it wasn't always going to be easy or simple, but that it was going to be exciting, filled with love, and interesting for sure.

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_Happy New Year you all! Thanks for reading. :)_

_xxx Shirley_


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